Chapter 19 – The Weight of the Past

Nathan watched as Lilian stood frozen in place, her eyes locked onto him. The realization in her expression was unmistakable—shock, confusion, and something deeper, something unresolved. The cool night air did little to calm the storm that had just erupted in her mind.

"This… doesn't make sense," she finally muttered, taking a step back.

Nathan tilted his head slightly, giving her space. He knew this moment would come, but he wasn't sure how she'd react.

Lilian clenched her fists, her voice turning sharp. "Where the hell have you been all this time?" Her eyes searched his face as if looking for a lie. "Do you have any idea what I went through?"

Nathan's usual smirk disappeared. He met her gaze, unwavering. "I know," he said simply. "And I'm sorry."

But Lilian wasn't satisfied. "You vanished after the accident. No news, no messages, nothing. And now you suddenly come back as Nathan Cole?"

Nathan exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "It's complicated."

Lilian scoffed. "Then explain."

Nathan hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

Three Months Ago – After the Accident

The last thing he remembered was the impact—the sharp screech of tires, the blinding lights, then nothing.

When he woke up, he wasn't in a hospital. The room was too luxurious, too controlled. Medical machines beeped softly in the background, and the first thing he saw was a man standing over him.

Denis Cole. His father.

"Nathan," Denis had said, his voice as composed as ever. "Welcome back."

Nathan tried to move, but his body ached. "Where… where am I?"

Denis clasped his hands behind his back. "Germany."

Nathan's eyes widened slightly. "What?"

Denis pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed, his expression unreadable. "You need to understand something, Nathan. That accident wasn't a coincidence."

Nathan's mind reeled. "What do you mean?"

Denis leaned forward slightly. "It was planned."

Nathan's blood turned cold. "That doesn't make sense."

Denis sighed. "You've been living as Nathan Smith for years, thinking you were just some regular kid in an elite school. But you were always a Cole. And there are people who don't want a Cole walking around unprotected."

Nathan's jaw tightened. "…Who?"

Denis shook his head. "That's what I'm trying to figure out. But for now, you needed to lay low. That's why I pulled you out."

Nathan clenched his fists. "So you just let everyone think I disappeared?"

Denis's expression didn't waver. "It was necessary. If they knew you survived, they'd come after you again."

Nathan looked away, his mind racing. He thought of Lilian, of his life back at school, of everything he'd built under his fake identity. All of it—gone in a single night.

Denis stood up. "I know this isn't what you wanted. But you have a choice now. You can stay in hiding… or you can embrace who you really are."

Nathan took a deep breath. He already knew his answer.

Present – Back in the Garden

Lilian stared at him, processing everything. Her lips trembled slightly before she spoke. "So you just accepted it? You just abandoned everything?"

Nathan swallowed. "I didn't have a choice."

Lilian let out a bitter laugh. "There's always a choice."

He looked at her then, his expression unreadable. "Maybe. But it was either this… or be hunted down."

Lilian shook her head, stepping back further. "I don't know who you are anymore."

Nathan felt something twist inside him. He had expected anger, but not this—this quiet heartbreak in her voice.

"I'm still the same Nathan," he said, almost defensively.

Lilian stopped walking but didn't turn back. Her voice was softer this time. "That's the problem. You're not."

The words hit harder than he expected.

Before he could say anything else, his phone buzzed.

He sighed, pulling it out. "What?"

Lucien's voice came through, low and serious. "Nathan, we have a problem."

Nathan frowned. "What kind of problem?"

Lucien hesitated before answering. "Someone's looking for you. And I don't think they have good intentions."

Nathan's expression darkened. "…Who?"

Lucien's voice remained tense.

"Someone who knows what happened that night."

Nathan stood still, staring at the empty space where Lilian had just been.

She was gone.

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. Damn it…

He had two choices now—go after Lilian and fix things, or follow up on Lucien's warning about the unknown people searching for him.

Nathan glanced at his phone. Lucien's words echoed in his mind:

"They've been asking around about Nathan Smith."

His fake identity. The one he left behind.

Nathan clenched his jaw.

If he ignored this now, it could become a bigger problem later. But if he let Lilian walk away again, she might not give him another chance.

For a moment, he hesitated. Then—

"Shit," he muttered and turned, jogging in the direction Lilian had left.

There was no way he was letting her go like this.

Nathan found Lilian standing near the small fountain, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the rippling water.

He smirked to himself before casually stepping beside her. "So, you're just going to leave me like that?"

Lilian didn't turn. "I don't see why I should stay."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "You're really mad at me, huh?"

She scoffed. "Took you long enough to figure that out."

He sighed. "Look, I know I messed up—"

"You disappeared, Nathan," she interrupted, finally turning to face him. "One day you were there, and the next you were just… gone. No explanation. No goodbye."

Her voice wavered slightly at the end. Nathan felt something twist in his chest.

"I didn't have a choice," he admitted.

Lilian searched his face, looking for something—maybe honesty, maybe regret. "And now?"

Nathan hesitated before giving her a small smirk. "Still don't have a choice."

Lilian exhaled sharply. "You're impossible."

Nathan chuckled. "I get that a lot."

A short silence settled between them before he suddenly tilted his head, eyes gleaming mischievously.

"So," he said, crossing his arms, "you really don't think of me as your fake boyfriend anymore, huh?"

Lilian frowned. "What?"

Nathan leaned in slightly, his smirk widening. "I mean, if you were that worried about me… doesn't that mean you actually liked having me as your fake boyfriend?"

Lilian's eyes widened for a split second before she scoffed, turning away. "Don't flatter yourself."

Nathan chuckled. "Oh, come on. You were totally into me."

"I was not."

"Then why'd you spend months looking for me?"

Lilian opened her mouth to argue, then stopped. She looked away, biting her lip slightly.

Nathan caught the small reaction and grinned. "Aha. Got you."

She turned back, glaring at him. "Shut up."

"Hey, it's okay," Nathan teased. "You can admit it. I won't judge."

Lilian huffed, pushing his shoulder lightly. "You're the worst."

Nathan laughed, taking a step back. "And yet, here you are, still talking to me."

She rolled her eyes but didn't walk away this time.

Nathan took that as a small victory.

Nathan's teasing smirk softened as he looked at Lilian.

"…Honestly," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I missed you too."

Lilian's eyes flickered with surprise.

Nathan let out a small chuckle. "I know I joke around a lot, but I mean it. You were the only one who ever treated me like a normal person. Not a loner, not a troublemaker, just… me."

Lilian stared at him for a moment before sighing, crossing her arms. "You're still annoying."

Nathan grinned. "Yeah, but I'm your annoying fake boyfriend."

She rolled her eyes but didn't deny it.

Nathan took a step closer. "So, can we stop being mad at each other?"

Lilian hesitated before muttering, "We'll see."

Nathan smirked. "I'll take that."

---

Meanwhile…

Lucien moved silently through the dimly lit alley, blending into the shadows. Ahead of him, a group of men were gathered, speaking in hushed voices. He had been following them for a while now, tracking their movements.

One of them, a man in a dark suit, leaned in and whispered, "We got confirmation. Nathan Smith doesn't exist. His entire record was fabricated."

Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly.

Another man nodded. "Which means someone went through the trouble of erasing his real identity. We need to find out who he really is."

Lucien remained hidden, his expression unreadable.

'Tch. Just as I thought,' he mused.

This wasn't over yet.

End of Chapter 19.